The tour included the greenhouses, the spa, the winery and more, all open to the public.

Here's a few words from Linda Hicks on the event.
"The tour itself was very informative. I wasn’t aware of the various events the college presents for the public and will definitely be looking into the spa opportunities the students provide.

The smaller group sittings at lunch in the Benchmark restaurant were definitely a plus. The menu provided something for everyone’s taste and enjoyment. The presentation of each course was lovely! The food was savoury and the unique little ingredients to the dishes added to the delicious flavour. The staff were friendly and accommodating.

The highlight of the day was finding out about the “Benchmark To Go” shop for take-away prepared meals .I know some of us took advantage of shopping on our way out!  The shop is open 10 to 2 each day.

Visit the Benchmark Restaurant for more details including the menu.

The Annual “Community Awareness Event” on November 20th proved to be successful for both participants and the public.  The nice weather brought out a good crowd.  The various organizations added their own personal “flair” to decorating their spaces from using Christmas trees and lights to Mardi Gras masks and feathers, ukulele’s galore, to General Brock, himself (!) who showed up. There seemed to be a “relaxed air” to the afternoon; chatting amongst friends and neighbours and community members.  NOTL Newcomers hope attendees found just the right group to volunteer their time with.  A big thank you goes out to the following organizations for participating this year: 

• NOTL Museum
• Shaw Guild
• NOTL Horticultural Society
• Newark Neighbours
• Bravo Niagara
• Accessible Niagara
• Canadian Blood Services
• NOTL Ambassadors
• Niagara Festival of Performing Arts
• Nayanas of Niagara
• NOTL Jazz Festival
• Queenston Women’s Chorus
• NOTL Ukesters
• Evergreen Singers
• Friends of Fort George
• Amnesty Niagara
• Niagara Bruce Trail
• NOTL Writer’s Circle
• NOTL Indoor Pool

 Finally, thank you to the generous individuals who donated to the Food Bank at Newark Neighbours.

NOTL Ghost Walk - October 16, 2024

A full moon, a man in a top hat and cape carrying a lantern.....what else could you ask for.....our second Newcomers Event....."THE GHOST WALK". Fifteen members braved the not-so-chilly night. With the full moon, it was a perfect night for walking up and down the streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake listening to tales of days long ago told by our tour guide, Daniel Cumerlato.  He added juicy tidbits here and there, shared secrets and answered all our questions in 90 minutes.

Among the haunts we stopped at and discussed were:  the Royal George Theatre (has a lighting tech ghost who pops on and off stage as the curtain rises/drops and an actress ghost who hip butts stage frightened actors onto the stage);  the Courthouse;  the Prince of Wales (Molly McGuire accidentally killed as a red coat by an American soldier haunts Room 207- no ghost tax on this room);  the Olde Angel Inn ( Captain Colin Swayze still lurks in the basement after he died in a rum barrel, struck through with a bayonet after found hiding from American soldiers....it has been reported that the Captain likes to still frequent both bathrooms downstairs);  Niagara Apothecary (the secret we learned was in the late 1800's seances were held on the top floor of the building);  Trisha Romance gallery/house (a woman supposedly wanders the halls, cameras are affected strangely here);  the former site of the first Courthouse/Jail (first place to hang a woman with her accomplice for poisoning her husband);  the Gazebo (site of Queens Royal Hotel, supernatural film location/ specially built for "The Dead Zone" by David Cronenberg;  ending with the Paranormal Museum (haunted by a little girl).

If we didn't believe in ghosts before the tour......GHOST WALKS gave us enough information to spark our imagination. Daniel only hit on the more famous.  The list goes on and on.  See for yourselves why NOTL is referred to as Canada's most haunted town!

NOTL's Ghosts:
Considering October is the month of Halloween and since NOTL is Canada's most haunted community here are some websites and books you might find spooking suspenseful:

• "Ghosts of Niagara-on-the-Lake" by Maria Da Silva and Andrew Hind. 
• The Ghost Walks History of NOTL /Most Haunted Tour - Youtube
• Brockamour Manor And The Legend Of "Sobbing Sophia" Youtube – Brittney Crabb Feb 8,2017

The Award Winning Historical Virtual Ghost Tour.  YouTube - Historical Niagara TV Show.

BY's Honey Bee Farm Tour - October 8, 2024

It happened to be really sunny and warm, we visited BY’s Honey Farm and were met by Ed the bee keeper and (I believe) owner. He first took us to see the treatment area where there were a number of therapeutic treatments available using bee products for various medical conditions. He works closely with doctors in Germany who are at the forefront of apiary medicine. He was adamant that apiary products can cure just about any ailment especially using the bee venom. Some treatments he mentioned were cartilage rebuilding, even cancer treatment. There is even a room where you relax and inhale the air from the bee hives. There is a small cabin that is full of bees where you lay down on a bench to receive multiple bee stings for venom treatment. (I don’t think so!)  The honey, honeycomb and pollen all have wellness benefits too.

Ed explained how most commercial honey even if it says unpasteurized has been heated to keep it in a liquid state. The heating destroys a lot of the benefits from the honey. He said that he couldn’t necessarily make you live longer but he could help you to feel a lot better.


Next, we visited the hives and we looked inside them. He used a smoking device to calm the bees so they wouldn’t get angry and he accessed the hive from the back, not the front where you are more likely to get stung. He explained that you could adopt a hive for $100 annual fee, decorate it any way you like, visit it whenever you want and get two jars of honey from it or you could buy a hive outright and keep at home complete with the bees for $500-$600.

Lastly, we went to their honey shop where there were lots of interesting products like honey comb, Immune Boost Raw Honey and bee pollen and many flavoured honeys and we stocked up with healthy and YUMMY choices.